Night is always followed by day
by Weeno
Summary: James and Lily are already married, encounter the good times and bad times with them, and whats this Lilys got a baby on the way?...I sense the arrival of a prophecy etc
1. Chapter 1 a little present

Night is always followed by day is always followed by night

Disclaimer- the charcter (unfortunately) are from the mind of J.k Rowling and not me

Part One- A little present

She smiled as he walked levitating after him the most sumptuous breakfast she had ever seen, not to mention the largest. Seven months in and it can still feel like a dream she thought. Not the same blissfully perfect kind of dream that the actual day had been like of course. But then, she wondered, could any woman really say that their wedding day isn't the happiest day of their lives? She knew she couldn't.

There had never been a day when she had smiled more than the day she became Mrs Potter. It hadn't been the fairytale wedding that she had once dreamt of. People in the wizarding world couldn't afford to be lavish in times like these; it attracted too much attention from unwanted guests. Even those in love had to be cautious when there was a war going on. Yet despite the modesty of the wedding it was still idyllic to her, and a light shone in her eyes as she recalled all the people she and her husband loved the most gathered together…

He smiled down at his precious wife and realised that although she seemed happy; this was nothing to do with his romantic gesture, as she didn't really appear to be paying attention to it. So naturally he coughed until she showed some signs of paying attention to him.

" Cough sweet James?"

He grinned and replied "no my dear Lily."

"Are you sure? Do you not have one? And there was I thinking that every possible thing anyone could ever want to consume is in this room right now," she cheekily commented.

James acted mock offended that she was making fun of his feast rather than appreciating it, as she should, yet inwardly his heart beamed. After all he didn't fall for Lily because she was meek and mild mannered. Oh no, he thought, clinging to my every word, and watching my every movement with awe would never have made her stand out from the crowd.

"Well, don't blame me; it's your own fault you're being overdosed on breakfast every month."

She couldn't help but laugh and agree with the truth in his statement. Exactly one month after they had been married Lily awoke to find James bringing her breakfast in bed announcing a happy one month anniversary.

"So should I expect this everytime I've added a month to the amount of time I've been married to you," she had asked after they had happily munched their way through the morning meal.

"How could you expect anything less?" He had smoothly replied.

With a flash of inspiration she shot him a cunning grin and stated that "You realise though, that next month I'll have stayed married to you for _two _months so I deserve a treat twice as good and a treat _three _times as good after three months and well, I'm sure you get the idea."

James laughed delightedly, she was always coming out with things like this, and always testing him; seeing exactly what his love for her would make him to to please her. And he always made sure that he met her challenge, just as she always met his. So he began to think how he could improve his romantic gesture as he had smoothly leant and gave her a kiss on the cheek.

"Don't worry my flower, your treat will increase accordingly."

He was true to his word. However Lily had not expected that the treat being doubly good meant that the breakfast was double the size. The breakfast had grown larger with each month and at seven months it truly was a breakfast that could feed an army. The breakfast on the first month had been no meagre helping.

"James, what are we going to do in a few years time?"

He looked at her face, every inch looked concerned, truly worried. Yet there was a sparkle in her eye that made James feel able to ask what she meant.

"Well…"she said, a grin creeping onto her face, "we won't be able to fit the breakfast into the house!" She exclaimed before giggling at her own joke purely because she knew it was so bad.

"Mmmm very funny; you may well laugh at me…but as yet you have failed to give me a present on any of our anniversaries."

She raised her eyebrows suggestively.

"I mean a real present, something that actually involves spending money…not something you know would happen anyway!"

Confident and cocky as ever she thought, though in this case I guess he has reason to be, I am his wife after all. She placed her hand on her belly and thought of the best present she could give him, James was in for a little shock in a moment.

"Well, perhaps I do have a little present for you," she told him; and his eyes began to low with excitement.

"However," she continued "I'm afraid you can't have it just yet."

"Why not? Why won't you give it me now?" James said in a manner that showed he truly was the only child of doting parents.

"It's not something I can control."

He frowned, wondering how the giving of a present she had bought him could not be under her control. He opened his mouth to speak but no words came out, confusion was not a feeling James Potter was comfortable with.

"I'm sure you'll love it when you finally get it," Lily reassured him.

" When I _finally _get it!" He exclaimed, "exactly how long am I going to have to wait?"

"Oh about nine months."

She smirked at her discreet way of telling him, but from the look on his face, he didn't seem to understand. Honestly, men, she thought, and laughed, she could practically see the cogs turning as James tried to figure out what the present was.

"Nine months? Wha…oh." His eyes widened with shock, excitement and just a touch of what looked like fear.

"You're…?"

She nodded.

He just sat there, open mouthed and wide-eyed. Not quite the reaction Lily had expected and hoped for. So children hadn't really been properly discussed as something quite so soon in the future; she didn't see why it mattered. Undoubtedly they would be ready enough for the baby by the time he or she was ready for the world. James should be feeling the same, she thought, why isn't he dancing around ecstatic even if he is a little scared?

"James…?"

He looked at her face before looking down to where his child was growing and then…

"I'm going to be a dad!" He yelled, jumping up.

Lily breathed a sigh of relief and wondered how she could ever have doubted that he would be thrilled. After all, it was James that had been talking of the great brood of children they were going to have. Personally Lily was most definitely still unconvinced that they needed quite so many children. James had always loved being an only child and she knew from personal experience that siblings were not always the best of friends. Still, she thought, these will be ours, even if we have twelve they'll all be spoilt rotten. Though equally spoilt of course so they'd love each other.

James eventually stopped jumping up and down in celebration. He put a smug look on his face.

"See, it's a good job I bought you the breakfast to end all breakfasts; you're eating for two now," he told Lily.

With that he leapt at her and gave her the bearest of bear hugs ever. It would have been impossible to believe that there had ever been a more happy and excited couple.

A man approached the front door of their house and gave three big knocks. The sound parted the couple's happy hug and James ran to door.

When he opened the door standing there was a man that could only be described as the classic tall, dark and handsome. Yet not mysterious, oh no, Sirius Black could never be described as mysterious when standing in front of his best friend. At that moment he had the look of a man who goes about things as if every day was the last of his life; eager, every pore of his being oozed eagerness. What was it he was eager to do as he stood there? Well he wanted to settle his curiosity by discovering the content of the letter attached to a rather large, breathtakingly beautiful Barn Owl residing on his shoulder.

Sirius' curiosity was of course only further heightened by the look of dread on James' face when he saw that Owl.


	2. Chapter 2 To be used in emergencies

Disclaimer- character etc all JkR not me (damn)

Part 2 – To be used in emergencies

Lily and Sirius both looked nervous as they sat waiting for James to finish reading the letter he had received. Lily's startlingly green eyes were full of concern as they watched James pace, and Sirius' equally startling dark eyes were full of confusion as he watched the old, magnificent owl perch beside him. Sirius just couldn't understand why the appearance of the owl had caused this worry.

As he had walked up the winding path towards the house, Sirius had seen James' parents old owl smoothly swooping down and as he reached the door it perched upon his shoulder. Sirius had been curious himself as to what could possibly be in the letter; after all he had been with the couple at James' parents house for dinner just the night before. Yet he couldn't understand why the owl caused his friend; who was wearing a grin from ear to ear when he opened the door, to have such fear appear in his eyes when he saw it.

Lily had appeared just as James roughly grabbed the bird off Sirius' shoulder, clumsily took the letter, and strode through the living room as he opened it. She took a brief moment to calm the slightly distressed owl before following James without so much as glancing at Sirius. He wasn't offended at this, Sirius knew her well enough to realise that her failure to acknowledge his presence in her house wasn't down to rudeness, but distraction and worry, which meant that she too knew the significance of the owl. He then followed suit and went into the living room.

Sirius had been trying to catch Lily's eye ever since he walked into the room with all the appearance of calmness he could muster; he did not like being on the outside, unknowing and unable to help when those closest to him were clearly distressed about something. Something that he knew must be to do with James' parents who he cared for greatly.

Lily however was unwilling to let her eye be caught. I can't explain to him, she thought, not when I'm unsure if I really know what's going on myself. She did however, know that if anyone received a letter from her mother and father in law it was delivered by their quirky tawny owl who was younger and needed the exercise more than the barn owl. Yet Lily remembered them saying that due to it's sharpness of mind the barn owl reached its destinations much quicker, meaning the barn owl was the one to be used in emergencies. So its arrival at their house meant one thing, the Potters were in trouble.

The short time it took for James to read the letter felt like an eternity to both his best friend and his wife, with both managing to imagine all the terrible things that the letter could be about.

James abruptly stooped pacing, he turned to Lily his stony face as white as a sheet.

"Get my wand," he ordered.

She ran upstairs without questioning him or even hesitating but she paused as she reached for his wand, seeing the untouched breakfast taking over the room. To her the start of this day was simple, pure, happiness and it had ended just a few minutes ago but it was well and truly over and Lily lamented at the fact she would be bringing a baby into a world in which panic could currently reign over anyone at a moments notice. For a moment she realised the positive side to living in ignorance again as a muggle, then she wouldn't know about this war, Voldemort's war.

Fortunately, whatever the bad news James had just received was she was sure that it was nothing to do with him.

" Whatever else will happen I will not let our happiness be destroyed by him," Lily quietly said to herself.

With that fighting thought in her mind she grabbed her own wand along with her husbands, and raced back downstairs.

Meanwhile James had said just one sentence to Sirius,"we need to get to my parents house now, before it's too late."

Question upon question flooded into Sirius' mind, but he knew that they could be answered later as a person who is panicking tends not to take kindly to questions. So he just nodded and got his wand out; ready to aparrate to where he could help those who had helped and loved him when his own family wouldn't.

When Lily arrived with her own wand in her hand James' heart skipped a beat both in shock and admiration. He loved that his wife was always ready to help, and the fact that she could help because magic wise, she was no novice. However, she was carrying his child and that could not be put at risk.

"You're not coming."

Lily was not entirely surprised by this and merely informed James that she wasn't ill, (a comment which rather confused Sirius), and would be going. There would have undoubtedly been further negotiations on the matter but James recognised the determined look in Lily's eyes and he knew that time could absolutely not afford to be wasted.

"Right," said Sirius feeling the need to make sure there was no arguments, "after three then…one…two…three."

Just moments later they were all standing in the garden of James parents house, the look of immense shock echoed on all of their faces.


End file.
